Wild baby turkeys have been visiting my yard lately, and I’ve learned something important about them.
They like blueberries.
A lot.
I went outside hoping to pick a few berries for the house and discovered that the little poults had apparently been keeping an eye on the crop too. They were jumping into the bushes, stretching for berries and squeezing themselves into places where good judgment might suggest a turkey should not go.
That got me wondering: what do wild baby turkeys actually eat?
What Is a Baby Turkey Called?
A baby turkey is called a poult.
Wild turkey poults hatch ready to move. They can walk and begin following their mother very soon after hatching, which is important because the hen leads them to food and helps teach them how to survive.
The little ones visiting my yard certainly don’t seem helpless. They are quick, curious and surprisingly determined when food is involved.
Especially blueberries.
What Do Wild Baby Turkeys Eat?
Very young wild turkey poults need a lot of protein while they are growing, so insects are an especially important part of their diet.
They forage for things such as grasshoppers, beetles and other small insects they find while moving through grasses and low vegetation with the hen.
As they grow, their diet becomes more varied and includes seeds, plants and fruits.
That brings us back to my blueberry bushes.
Can Wild Turkeys Eat Blueberries?
Yes. Wild turkeys can eat blueberries, along with many other berries and fruits. The poults visiting my yard have made their opinion of blueberries very clear.
They approve.
Enthusiastically.
I watched the little buggers jump for berries that seemed well beyond reasonable baby-turkey reach. If a branch bent beneath them or they managed to wedge themselves somewhere awkward, it did not appear to matter.
There was a blueberry involved.
Apparently that was reason enough to continue.
By the time I got around to picking berries for the house, my share had become considerably smaller.
It seems there is now a turkey tax on the blueberry crop.
How Do Wild Turkey Poults Learn to Find Food?
Poults stay with their mother and learn by following her as she moves through their habitat.
They peck, scratch and investigate the ground while looking for food. Watching a wild turkey family move through a yard can make it easy to see how much learning is happening while they travel.
The young birds don’t simply sit somewhere waiting to be fed. They are busy exploring.
Judging from the group visiting here, curiosity may be one of their strongest talents.
Can Baby Turkeys Jump?
This was not a question I expected to ask until the blueberry raid began.
The answer, based on the poults in my yard, is very definitely yes.
They can jump surprisingly well.
They also appear willing to climb, scramble and launch themselves into berry bushes without much concern about whether getting back out will be easy.
Watching them has made the blueberry patch considerably more entertaining, even if it has made harvesting slightly less productive.
When Can Wild Baby Turkeys Fly?
Wild turkey poults develop quickly.
When they are still quite young, they begin making short flights. As they grow stronger, they become increasingly capable of getting off the ground and eventually roosting above it.
That ability is important for a wild bird that needs to escape predators and keep up with its flock.
It also explains why a blueberry bush isn’t much of an obstacle for long.
What Sounds Do Baby Turkeys Make?
Poults communicate with their mother and with one another using small peeps, whistles and other calls.
The hen also communicates with the young birds, helping keep the family together and warning them when something may be dangerous.
If you ever have the chance to quietly watch a wild turkey family from a respectful distance, listen as well as look. There is often more conversation happening than you might expect.
How Fast Do Wild Turkey Poults Grow?
Fast.
Wild poults have a lot to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time. They must learn to forage, follow the hen, avoid danger and become strong enough to fly.
That makes good habitat especially important. Young wild turkeys need places with plenty of insects and plant cover where they can feed while still having some protection.
A Little Backyard Lesson
I started out trying to pick blueberries.
Instead, I ended up watching a small lesson in how wild animals learn to use the food growing around them.
The poults weren’t being fed by people. They simply found a blueberry bush growing in their natural travels and figured out exactly what to do with it.
Very, very quickly.
So if you ever wonder whether wild baby turkeys are curious, adventurous or willing to work for a good berry, I can offer one small piece of backyard evidence.
Yes.
And if you’re hoping to get some blueberries for yourself, you may want to get there first.
Sources & Further Reading
For more information about wild turkey poults, their food, development and behavior:
National Wild Turkey Federation — The Importance of Insects to Wild Turkeys
Pennsylvania Game Commission — Wild Turkey
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Wild Turkey Sounds
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Wild turkey chicks
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